RAF LAC 80 SIGS Wing (Artillery)

Would an LAC in the RAF have tasks of WOPAC? I am having difficulty reading the letters on the service record. It could also be WOPAG. What would be the difference and what would be the responsibilities of these LAC?

 

The trade of Wireless Operator Air Gunner is WOPAG and makes more sense than WOPAC.
According to the description of trades on this webpage, Aircrew Trades the trade of wireless operator air gunner was phased out in favour of signalers and air gunners which were needed for the heavy bombers. Early in the war LAC did serve as aircrew. Famously Leading Aircraftman Reynolds, the air gunner in Donald Garland's Fairy Battle Crew did not receive any gallantry award for the action which resulted in VCs for the pilot and navigator.

80 Signals wing is interesting as it was an electronic warfare unit. In 1940 the RAF formed the RAF Radio Counter-Measures (RCM) group - a secretive radio and radar intelligence unit. This was was formed to provide counter-measures against German navigational aids for bombers raiding British-based targets. The RCM group was superseded by 80 (Signals) Wing on 7 October, under Wing Commander EB Addison. The Wing’s motto was ‘Confusion to Our Enemies’.

It was initially based in a requisitioned country hotel, Aldenham Lodge, in Radlett. Known for cockroach and rat infestation, the hotel did at least have a swimming pool that was regularly used. 80 Wing initially consisted of 21 officers and 200 other ranks. A year later its Operations Room moved to larger premises at a nearby disused golf course (known as ‘Newburies’). The initial task of 80 Wing was the identification and subsequent jamming of the German Very High Frequency (VHF) blind-bombing system ‘Knickebein’ - which was being used to guide enemy bombers to their UK-based targets. The first jammers developed were simple sets which could be made to transmit a ‘mush’ of noise on the 'Knickebein’ frequencies (codenamed ‘Headache’). However, these were quickly superseded by a more high-powered system codenamed 'Aspirin'. These transmitted signals imitated the ‘Knickebein’ beam to confuse the German bomber pilots. Another method identified to nullify the effects of these beams was to mask the transmissions by intercepting and then re-broadcasting them. This second method was found to be more effective and became known as ‘Masking Beacon’ (or ‘Meacon’).

In 1942 80 Wing was also allocated a small airborne unit, the Wireless Intelligence and Development Unit (WIDU). It soon increased to Squadron strength and became known in its own right as No. 109 Squadron. By December 1943 the work of 80 Wing/No. 109 Squadron had reached such proportions, in the air as well on the ground, that 100 (Bomber Support) Group was formed. It eventually comprised 14 Squadrons, with 80 Wing becoming an integral part of this group.

Here is a link to the Air Historical Branch material on No 80 Wing
Browse records of other archives | The National Archives

 

Thank you very much for this information, Sheldrake. I am writing a record of three members of my family who fought in the Second World War. They were in the First Contingent of volunteers (14 young men) who left Barbados in July 1940. I do not wish for them to be forgotten by my children and grandchildren and future generations to follow. I have tried to get information from the National Archives, but it has proved difficult. I know he was stationed in Gibraltar in 1942 and 1943 in New Camp with 333 Group HQ. What does it all mean? I really appreciate your response. Thanks again.

 

The wikipedia entry on Barbados mentions the second contingent of twelve recruited by the RAF in November 1940. Who were the first contingent? Why don't they get a mention?

From TNA. 333 Group RAF Regiment, West Kirby (UK). Formed 1 September 1942, moved to Algiers 8 November 1942; became HQ RAFR Eastern Air Command; moved to Maison Carree (Algeria) 23 November 1942; moved to Constantine 20 March 1943; became HQ RAFR Northwest African Air Forces; moved to La Marsa 16 August 1943. The RAF Regiment was formed to provide ground defences for RAF airfields after the battle for Crete showed the weakness of airfield defences.

 

I think that this airman would be a Ground Wireless Operator and not carry an aircrew designation. (From May/June 1940 the minimum rank for aircrew to establish status within the service and with the enemy was Sergeant)

Ground Wireless Operator was in Trade Group 11,the second of five Trade Groups. Other duties carried out by this trade, ad hoc, might be as a Teleprinter Operator...of the latter there was no such trade listed at the start of the war as was the case covering the Radar trade.

LAC was a classification of trade capability, sometimes achieved by a trade test for the classification, in many cases not.

Joining the service in this case being, the airman would be inducted as an AC2,(the lowest classification) and since it would appear he was destined for technical training, his trade category would be designated as Aircrafthand (under training for technical trades) as opposed to Aircrafthand (General Duties) who were destined for aircrew training.

After successfully passing out of his Wireless Operator course, the airman would be reclassified as an AC1.

Trade Group 11 daily pay rates
AC2....3s 6p
AC1.... 4s 3p
LAC.....5s 0p..after 3 years as an LAC....5s 6p

A posting to Gib was in reality a front line posting...the fear was that Franco, egged on by Hitler would attempt an assault on the fortress at the critical time during the war. Extensive defence works were carried out on the fortress in order to withstand the possibility of a Franco siege. This involved the construction of a large tunnel system into the Rock for operational control/storage of military equipment and billeting of the defence forces. (The airfield strip was always vulnerable for attack being close on the land side to La Linea)

When intelligence indicated that Gib was under threat from a Franco invasion, it became a wholly military fortress for civilians were evacuated to the West Indies. Civilians were not allowed back until the fall of the Third Reich.

As always the best source of information for the individual RAF serviceman is from RAF records but they need to be interpreted which can be difficult with the form they are presented in.

The best approach is to scan them and load them on to the thread when a collective effort from members may give a better picture of the service record.

 

1st Contingent WW2 departed Barbados in July 1940. “Willie (D.K. Foster) is in the front row, 2nd from the right. Leon Foster is also in the front row on the extreme left, while Clyde Lewis is in the centre of the front row.

Thanks so much for your responses. Above is a photo of the 1st Contingent which left Barbados. Mt family members are identified. I don't know why they are not mentioned, although the 2nd Contingent was made famous because it included Errol Barrow who later became the Prime Minister of Barbados and was the father of Barbados' Independence in 1966.

Below are the service records for D. K. Foster which I have in my possession.


Thank you all very much for helping me piece this together. It is very important to me to record his service in WWII as accurately as possible. It is proving a very difficult task for an amateur like me!

If it helps, the only personal details which I have as told by him to his daughter before he died in 1985 are that he was shot down on a few occasions and was rescued in the English Channel on one of those; he was buried alive, along with others, for four days (I presume in Gibraltar) and that a bullet grazed him across his nose bridge and he was blinded for 9 months. While all of this might be impossible to verify, I can attest that he also had a repeating nightmare and he would wake up screaming "No, not the children. Not the children."

I hope I am not overburdening you. Thanks again. Sincerely, Denis foster.

 

Thanks Denis,

I think I will require a better reading glass to read the detail but at first glance, the record shows that D K Foster was reclassified from AC2 (he is shown on induction as Aircrafthand/WOP) to LAC without staging through AC1 which suggests his training was "on the job training" and not part of structured training at a technical training school. On the job training was not too uncommon during the war and sometimes occurred after the war. However there is a distinct reason for this advanced classification as his civilian occupation is shown as Wireless Operator on the second form.

Unfortunately I cannot make out his classification dates but it would appear that his service was as a Temporary Corporal, Ground Wireless Operator.

The record which is clear and to the point is that he never served as aircrew. This is detailed as "Not Accepted for Aircrew Duties" on Form 2171 dated 27 September 1940.

Service number, I find it hard to read.it is referred to as Official Number. the first digit looks to be a number 1 amended to 2 and I cannot read the second number. I am attempting to ascertain his enlistment detail from the BWIs by his service number.

 

Hi Mr. Ree, I think the number is either 1890347 or 1290347.

 

Denis

D K Foster's enlistment did not take place in Barbados but here in England.

The Service Number as I prefer to call it,1290347 indicates entry to the RAF at Uxbridge on what looks like 16 September 1940.He must have had his aircrew assessment following that with the outcome referred to on Form 2171, dated 27 September 1940 (Post #6 Form 543 under Miscellaneous)

 

Thanks. I have a photo of him meeting the Queen Mother. She visited Uxbridge on 6th September 1940, so I think he might have entered Uxbridge 0n 16/8/1940. The next entry is a transfer to 1wg 4 RC. Is this 1 wing ITW and is 4 RC RAF Bridgnorth? I am picking my way through his timeline!! I hope not blindly! I need confirmation as I progress. Thanks again for taking the time to help me with this.

 

Hi Harry,
On Form 543 there is a section called "Proficiency". There are 3 columns - A,B and C. In 1940, column A is completed as (IT) which I think means Initial Training. The following year column A is "Sat" (satisfactory?) In subsequent years, column A & B are completed as follows: column A = "Supr" and column B = "Sat". Does this mean that he was qualified to do two different tasks. WOP, for sure, but what about column B? Do you know how to decipher the meaning of this? Thanks again. Denis.

 

Denis, The Proficiency section ABC is there to record any additional information relevant to the airman at the time as his trade Proficiency is assessed.

Take the first entry as ACH/WOP,D K Foster's Proficiency record is a nil return for he is shown, as expected, to be classed with a return of u/t...under training.

Second entry as an LAC and as a WOP, his proficiency has been assessed as Satisfactory. Only A column completed, nothing further to add.

Then entries 3 to 7 contain a little bit more of D K Foster's status in the rank of Temporary Corporal. Column A is completed showing him to be Supernumerary, presumably as a Temporary Corporal which indicates that his rank status was above the Corporal establishment for his particular section .He would still be involved in the work of his section.

Column B in each of the entries 3 to 7 is shown as a Proficiency assessment of Satisfactory. Column C is left without an entry.

Regarding Post #10,I will look at it later. It was a system which was set in place to deal with the large intake of wartime recruits to the service which was rationalised after the war. At this stage the RAF was being rundown but still had to manage the intake of NS airmen, albeit much smaller numbers than wartime, for their induction and training programmes.

 

Thanks, Harry. Much appreciated.

 

Trade proficiency on Form 543 is recorded as
Exceptional - Ex
Superior - Supr
Satisfactory - Sat
Moderate - Mod
Inferior - Inf

Column A is skill as tradesman (applicable to airmen below rank of Sgt or paid acting Sgt
or Proficiency as pilot, air observer or full time air gunner (applicable to airmen so mustered)
Column B Ability as technical warrant officer or NCO ie as foreman manager, foreman or supervisor in his trade
Column C Administrative ability as Warrant Officer or NCO

Ross

 

Hi Ross,
Thank you for this information. It has explained the Proficiency columns excellently!!
Denis..

 

Based on the service record for D. K. Foster would it be correct to say that he was trained at 4 stations (sept 1940 - June 1942. Uxbridge, Bridgnorth, Blackpool and West Kirby)) before being assigned to NWA 333 Group in Gibraltar or would he have seen action or been in the service in 80 (Signals) wing in 1941 as well? Also, what does "Artillery" signify on the service record. Lastly, why would he be sent to West Kirby for more training after he had been ranked as a LAC with "Superior" WOP skills in December 1941? Sorry for all these questions, but it is not easy for an amateur like me to piece this service record together.

 

OK,

No.1 RC
Attestation and basic kitting - the influx of returning reservists and civilian entry put extreme pressure on the small cadre staff and with training units not yet ready to accept large numbers his stay here was brief.

No.4 RC
Drill, induction training etc - this unit along with other RC took pressure off the main entrance RC of Penarth, Uxbridge, Padgate. No.4 RC had been used for rekitting returning force from France but this task was winding down leaving them ready for another task.

No.10 (Signals) RC Reason H
H in the Reason column means that this posting was his first where he had been officially transferred to RAF Home establishment. He was now "on the books" for a particular role eg to be one of xxxx ground Wireless Operators listed to fill the parliament limited number of Airmen in the Royal Air Force and assigned to the Home Force rather than Field Force. At this unit he became a trained man in a specific trade group.

No.80 Wing Reason HH
HH means that this was a Headquarters Holding posting - meaning that he was a trained man, part of the Home Force Establishment manpower reserve. In the RAF everyone has to be somewhere as far as Records Section is concerned - here the unit was responsible for his messing, pay, ongoing training etc but he was not part of the establishment of No.80 Wing so they could not post him - only Headquarters Home Force could do that - but they could use him for duty cover for WOp of their establishment.

Your Artillery does not make sense for this entry - it is in the form of an RAF Station name rather than a unit - I suspect it was an outstation/detachment of 80 Wing while at Radlett but I cannot make out the hand written entry.

No.80 (Signals) Wing undated and with no recorded Reason was when the was paper transferred from HH to being on the establishment of the unit.

PDC West Kirkby is actually No.1 Personnel Despatch Centre (no training here)
This could be an actual posting where he arrived at the camp and cooled his heels waiting for the shipping to be assigned to the Draft to be moved overseas (usually leaving from Liverpool Docks) but it could just as well be a paper transfer while he was on embarkation leave and only spent a few night here before movement to the docks.

Ross

 

Thank you so much, Ross. I really appreciate your assistance. Is it ok with you if I ask you to help me decipher his activities from the time he left the Liverpool docks for Gibraltar on 25/8/1942? He seems to have left Gibraltar in 1944 with AHQ and returned in 1945. Where might this AHQ have been? Denis.

 

You need to post a much higher resolution copy of just the AHQ line - there is too much pixelation to make it out.

After withdrawal from Tunisia the NAAF/MAAF went through a re-organisation to get ready for the invasion of southern europe - his period at New Camp reflects that these formations had been disbanded - posted to RAF Station New Camp - he stays here for longer than just an admin holding - remaining after Operation Husky to around the time of Montecassino before moving to AHQ ? in May 1944.

Malta was the main theatre AHQ so not that one - looks more likely one of the smaller AHQ but it was still in formation in March 1945 - I'm guessing still southern europe location because he returned to Gibraltar.

As to his activities at No.333 Group, New Camp and subsequent AHQ the Form 543 is not the document for this detail. You need to do the same action that the Clerks in RAF Records did - pull the ORBs for the units and look at the detail recorded for formation action reporting and historic purposes at the time.

In a similar vein the Form 543 is not the complete service record for an airman - it was only the index sheet to other documents in the Registry - hence no individual mentions of move of a unit from one location to another. The Air Ministry was quite good at knowing where most of it's units were to bother recording down to this detail for each airman.

Form 543 was saved for pension purposes only and was never intended to be chapter and verse.

Ross

 

Thanks, Ross. I have been using the website extensively and it appears that 333 Group was formed for Operation Torch. Was New Camp a reference to a location or did it reference some timeframe? I have signed in to the National Archives but I find it difficult to find anything there and they have paused their research assistance program due to Covid. When they resume I will use the service, but in the meantime do you think that Operation Torch was the reason for 333 Group going to Gibraltar? You mentioned Husky and southern Europe, not North Africa. Also, how do I find what squadron or higher 333 Group was a part of? I hope that question makes sense. I ask it because the National Archives ask for squadron numbers and I don't have any. I will try to nenarge the AHQ line and post it.